It All Started With a Question
by Mastercoop
Summary: Beast Boy has a question for Raven.  But how important could one little question be?
1. Chapter 1

**MC:** First ever Teen Titans fanfic. Yay BB and Rae!

* * *

It all started with a question. All of this, this whole story, stems from one little question. One question, that at the time seemed an unimportant and insignificant part of our lives, turned out to be the catalyst that would changed our lives forever. That one question... changed everything. We just thought that you should know that. – R and BB

* * *

It was late afternoon, approaching evening, and Raven was meditating on the roof of Titan's Tower while the other Titans played a game of basketball. She wasn't really sure why she was meditating out there; it was hard enough focusing herself and her energy on her own, but the process was made even more difficult when she had to work to ignore Beast Boy's constant attempts to get her to join their game.

"Come on Raven, just one game," called Beast Boy from across the roof, his voice hopeful. "You know you want too."

Raven ignored the green Titan, slowly and steadily repeating her mantra of "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos" as she meditated.

After a moment Starfire's voice joined Beast Boy's. "Yes, friend Raven," called the Tamaranean joyfully, floating in the air and holding the ball just out of Cyborg's reach as he eagerly jumped for it. "Will you not participate in the game of balls and baskets with us?"

"Come on BB, Star, give it up" said Cyborg, causing Raven to smile gratefully, "you can't make Rae play basketball if she doesn't want to. Besides" he shouted loudly, grabbing the ball from Starfire's distracted hands, "I'm just about beat all y'all anyway!" He ran down the court, dodging both Robin and Starfire's attempts to seize the ball from him. He jumped high into the air, over the large green rhinoceros that had appeared in his way, and brought the ball down through the hoop, letting out his classic cry of "Booyah!" The ball flew through the hoop and hit the ground with such force that, with a loud pop and a hiss, it deflated on the spot.

"Guess that's the end of the game..." said Robin, scowling at Cyborg.

"And the winner is... the mechanical maniac... the robotic wonder... the one, the only, Cyborg!" cried Beast Boy, raising one of Cyborg's arms high into the air.

"You know it," said Cyborg smugly, smiling in triumph.

"Yes, you were most victorious," said Starfire happily, giving Cyborg a thumbs up and smiling wide.

"I think we should celebrate my victory" said Cyborg, looking thoughtful. Suddenly, he pulled out a white chef's hat, seemingly from nowhere, and placed it on his head. "I'm thinking waffles."

"Ooohhhh, yes please! That would be most excellent" said Starfire, looking excited.

"Yeah, that sounds great Cyborg," chimed in Robin, his sour expression at the loss of the basketball disappearing quickly.

The three of them proceeded towards the tower's roof access, but Beast Boy hung back. As the group reached the stairs, Cyborg turned round. "BB, Raven, you comin'?" he called to the remaining Titans. Raven shook her head, continuing on with her meditation, and Beast Boy shouted something about coming down later. "K, later then," said Cyborg, turning and walking down the stairs and out of sight.

Beast Boy stood awkwardly at the edge of the basketball court for a moment, watching his friends descend into the tower. He looked over his shoulder, watching Raven as she meditated, and weighing his options. On the one hand, waffles, which were pretty enticing on their own. On the other hand, he had been waiting for a chance to get Raven on her own for quite awhile, and it didn't seem like he was going to get a better opportunity than this. He just stood for a moment, gazing at Raven. Her hood was down, and a light breeze was blowing, tossing her hair around her face. The effect was rather enchanting. Making up his mind, he turned around, and slowly made his way over to where Raven was perched, hovering in the air at the edge of the tower. It looked to be quite a drop over the edge to the rocks and water below, and Beast Boy knew that if he said the wrong thing to the girl beside him, he could very well find himself finding out exactly how far of a drop it was, in person. He still hadn't thought through his entire plan, but Raven's voice interrupted his thought process.

"Good evening, Beast Boy," she said, eyes still closed, her emotionless voice breaking the silence of the rooftop. "Can I help you with something?"

Beast Boy silently fidgeted on the spot, unsure of how to begin his proposal. After a moment, Raven opened one eye to look at Beast Boy, meeting his gaze for a moment before he looked away. "Spit it out," she stated calmly, in that same blank, monotone voice. It wasn't a demand, rather just an attempt to get Beast Boy to speak his mind.

Beast Boy stared at her a moment longer, still thinking, then finally spoke, "I was going to ask you a question..." His voice trailed off and he fell silent again, clearly thinking really hard, but not saying anything.

The two stared at each other in silence for a moment before Raven responded to his previous statement, "Well, that's really... interesting. Is that all? Can I go back to my meditation now?"

"Uh, but I didn't even- I didn't ask- What about my question?" He spluttered, stumbling over his words.

Raven had to fight a little to keep from smiling; even though she'd never admit it, he was kinda cute when he was flustered. "Would you like to ask me the question?" she asked, still staring at him with one eye. He nodded slowly, watching her. She paused, thinking. "Is it a stupid question?" she asked, opening both eyes to give him a skeptical look.

"No!" he said defensively. "Well, maybe." He looked confused. "I don't know, I don't think it's stupid." He looked at her hopefully.

She sighed, rolling her eyes, and asked, "Is the question in any way related to tofu?" Beast Boy shook his head, smiling. She closed both her eyes again and resumed her meditation pose before responding. "Sure. Ask away."

He paused for a moment before asking "Can I meditate with you?"

**MC:** I hope you liked it. More to come, probably. (Maybe)


	2. Chapter 2

**MC:** Hey, Mastercoop here, with Chapta' Numba' Two. Hope you find it to your liking.

* * *

Raven's eyes shot open, staring at Beast Boy in surprise, so taken aback by his unexpected question that her levitation faltered slightly, causing her to dip towards the ground. She quickly regained her composure, however, leveling out about a foot off the ground, masking her surprise quickly by forcing a questioning look of skepticism.

"Why would **you** want to meditate?" she asked, shock making her voice harsher than she had intended.

The unpleasantness of her response startled Beast Boy, whose face fell rapidly and who stood silently for moment before turning to walk away. "I shoulda know it was a stupid question..." he muttered.

"Wait. Stop!" said Raven, raising her voice and standing up. She reached over and grabbed his shoulder, her voice turning gentler, "I didn't mean it like that." He turned around to face the dark girl, staring into her eyes. "It's just that you've... I mean, you've never really taken an interest in meditation before now."

"There's a first time for everything," he replied, regaining a small, hopeful smile. "So, will you show me how?"

She looked at him for a moment, thinking. Then she narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "This had better not be some kind of stupid joke."

Beast Boy held up his hands in front of him, laughing slightly. "I'm being totally serious, honest."

She stared at him for a second or two, then turned back to face the bay. "Alright," she said, sitting down by the edge of the tower once more.

"Sweet!" said Beast Boy excitedly, pumping his fist and causing Raven to roll her eyes. He turned to face the bay as well, sitting down cross-legged and looking sideways at her.

"Now, just find your center, and-" but her instruction was cut off by Beast Boy's voice.

"How do I find my center?" he asked curiously.

"Um... Ok, picture yourself," she said, thinking back to when she had first learned to meditate. "Think of your true self, the one part of yourself from which all other parts stem. Think of how that part steadies and anchors you, keeping you true to yourself."

'Azar,' thought Raven, 'I'm starting to sound just those old monks.' An image of several balding old men in robes appeared in her mind's eye, but she pushed the thought aside.

"OK," said Beast Boy tentatively. "I think I got it."

"Good, now all you need to do is focus your energy," continued Raven. She sensed more confusion from Beast Boy, so she elaborated. "Once you find your center, focus on it."

"Got it," said Beast Boy, sounding eager.

"Alright then, you know what need to do..." her voice faded away, and a moment later, eyes closed, both Titans repeated in unison, "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos."

* * *

Despite following her own instructions to the letter, Raven found she had an extraordinary difficult time meditating with Beast Boy. Her thoughts keep drifting away from her center and focusing instead on the green changeling beside her. She never would have expected him to want to meditate with her. When he had approached with a question, she had expected something along the lines of 'Wanna come watch me eat tofu?' or 'Why did the chicken cross the road?' She had been sure his question would be something silly, for sure, and definitely not anything serious. It just wasn't his usual behavior.

Even stranger was the fact that he wanted to **meditate** with her. He had often complained that Raven was boring because she meditated all the time. Whenever she used meditation as an excuse to avoid doing things with him and the other Titans, he'd complain about how boring her meditation was. She wondered what had caused him to change his mind. She had to admit, he seemed committed; fifteen minutes had passed and he had remained sitting beside her, silent except for the magic words. She was surprised he could stay still so long without talking or making a joke.

She tried again to push the thoughts of Beast Boy out of her mind, but she couldn't seem to get him out of her head. He had seemed different lately; just this morning he had courteously offered to let her use the bathroom before him when they had both needed to get ready. He was more protective of everyone in battle too, but especially of her. He had also taken to sitting next to her during meal times, and bugging her even more than usual. He had even turned down his video games once when she had said they were distracting her from her reading.

Maybe he had finally decided to act more mature. Or maybe it was something... else. She could never tell with Beast Boy. He hid most of his true feelings behind his humor, and while she didn't think he was hiding anything serious, she did have difficultly reading his true emotions most of the time.

She thought back to when he had asked her to meditate. He had looked so dejected when she had nearly rejected his idea earlier, and she began mentally kicking herself for her stupidity. 'He just wanted to meditate with you and you pushed him away,' she thought bitterly. 'He wants to be your friend, but every step of the way you stop him. Why?" She couldn't explain it. 'He's just so... annoying and... immature." But she could tell those excuses weren't really the truth.

Deep down she knew the truth, which was that she was afraid of Beast Boy. The Titan's were her best friends, her family. She loved them, and they loved her. But none of them had ever tried to get close to her. Raven had girl talks with Starfire, sparred with Robin, and worked on the T-car with Cyborg, but all of them gave her space. All of them knew their limits, and stayed within them. All of them... except Beast Boy. He pushed every limit, nagging and bothering her, constantly talking and joking with her. He always seemed to get closer than any of the others. And that closeness... it scared the hell out of her.

She had no experience with closeness, not even with her mother back on Azarath. Because of the prophecy, she had never seen the point of being close to anyone. The more you grew attached to something, the more it hurt when it was yanked away, so she had tried to stay away from everyone. Even so, despite her "better" judgment, she had made friends with the other Titans. But she had always stopped short of truly sharing herself with the rest of the team. In their girl talks, it was always Starfire who talked about her home world and her life before the Titans. When she had finished sparring with Robin late at night, it was always he who told stories of where he had learned to fight, and why he was a crime fighter. When she worked with Cyborg, she always helped him with his problems, rather than the other way around. She would spend time with her friends, but she always had her distance, some space that separated her emotionally from the rest of the Titans. But it had been Beast Boy who had comforted her the only time she had really needed it. When she had been betrayed, it had been him who had been there to tell her that she wasn't alone.

He tried to be closer to her then than anyone else, but she had no idea how to be close to anyone, or even if she could be. But Beast Boy, it seemed, was always getting closer.

* * *

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos," said the pair before opening their eyes in unison. Some time had passed since they had begun their meditation together, and sun was just beginning to set across the ocean. They both sat in silence for a while, simply taking in the view. The fading rays reflected off the dark blue waves, making the water seem to sparkle. The sky had cleared, and the dark of the approaching night sky seemed to be slowly enveloping the pair as the sat on the rooftop together in the failing sunlight.

"It's really beautiful," said Beast Boy happily.

"Yeah" said Raven as they stood up. "Listen, Beast Boy, about earlier, I wanted to-" but her words were interrupted by Beast Boy as he grabbed her up in a big hug.

"Thanks," he said, smiling and looking deep into her eyes. After a second, they separated, and a moment later he was off, hurrying towards the stairs, mumbling something about waffles.

She watched him go, one eyebrow raised. After a few seconds, she turned back to face the setting sun. She stood on the roof for a long time, staying well after the last rays of sunlight had fallen below the horizon. The dark of the night surrounded her, and suddenly, she was gone, off to her room to continue meditating. She had a lot to think about.

* * *

**MC:** WOW, we get a lot of Raven's thoughts in this chapter. Like, several diary entries worth of them. I never expected that to happen, but when I was writing, all of a sudden, her thoughts just seemed to come to me. I hope you liked it, and don't worry, we'll get some Beast Boy introspection real soon.


	3. Chapter 3

**MC:** Thanks to: TheSlyCatMonster, Torahamutaro-chan, Ice WaterFire, WobblyJelly, crazynerd, Knock-Out92, FelynxTiger, LemonVron, Techno Skittles, redxcanary, The Cretan, and Fayari for their reviewing of the first two chapters. All your support is what keeps me going. Please enjoy Chapter Three.

* * *

Beast Boy hurried down the stairs and into the tower, bypassing the common room and heading straight for his bedroom. When he arrived, he closed the door behind him and began rummaging through the heaping mounds of garbage that lay around his bed. After a few seconds of searching, he unearthed an ancient pizza box. He opened the box, smiling when he saw two, only slightly moldy pieces of pizza remaining inside. He scarfed them down quickly, making a face; they were far from homemade waffles, but he didn't regret his decision to meditate with Raven for a second. His stomach satisfied for the time being, he hopped up on his bed, thinking.

The evening had certainly been an interesting one. He had almost thought Raven was going to shoot him down after he had first asked her to meditate, but after she had said yes things had gone pretty smoothly. He hadn't planned on hugging her at the end, but it had felt right to. She seemed to have enjoyed it, though.

His thoughts shifted over to Raven herself. He wasn't exactly sure of his feelings for her, but he knew that they had changed in the past months. He remembered the way he used to feel about her: that she was fun to bug and annoy, and that while she was mysterious and sometimes quite aloof, deep down she was a really good friend. But lately, he had started to feel differently about her.

He remembered how he had felt around Terra, but how he felt about Raven wasn't like that, not exactly. Around Terra, he had always felt a need prove himself to her, a need to make her like him as much as he liked her. He had felt as though he had been swept away by her, unable to think about anything else. He had felt as though he was in love with her. But that had all changed. She had betrayed them, all of them, and now she was gone, forever.

Now, however, he had started to feel some of those same qualities towards a certain violet haired Titan, but he also had some different feelings too. He felt as though all he wanted to do was tell her how he felt, but he couldn't find the words. He had spent many a night awake, thinking of clever ways to reveal his feeling to her, but each one had seemed more inadequate than the last. Eventually he had decided to just try spending more time with her, to see if that would give him the inspiration he needed to tell her his feelings. But that plan presented something of a problem.

Raven didn't like video games, jokes, or almost anything he liked too do, so he was at a lost for things he could do with her. He knew that she did work on the T-car with Cy, and have "girl talks" with Star, and intellectual conversations with Robin. The problem was that Beast Boy didn't have a car to work on, and both girl and intellectual talks were a bit outside the area of his expertise. But then he had remembered Starfire meditating once or twice with Raven out in the common room, and it had given him the idea. After that, he had been looking for opportunities to ask her to meditate, but the time never seemed right. Tonight, however, had been right.

'I wonder how she feels about me?' Beast Boy though to himself as he lay on his bed, wishing he had more pizza. 'She probably thinks I'm a green goofball,' he thought, dully. 'She can't possibly feel the same way about me.' He closed his eyes dejectedly, but opened them a moment later he reopened. 'But... she did seem to like meditating tonight.' His face rose slightly. 'Maybe she does like me. Maybe she does... have these pillows always been this soft? Maybe I'll just close my eyes for a little while, and then I... zzzzzz.' And without another thought, the green teen was fast asleep. He dreamt of two ravens, one violet and one green, flying side by side. He smiled into his pillow.

* * *

Beast Boy woke up to the sound of something growling. Hoping he hadn't shifted into some ferocious animal during the night, he opened his eyes and sighed in relief to find that he was still in human form. He was confused for a moment, and looked around sleepily for the source of the growling noise. Finding nothing, he hopped down from his bed, scratching his head. Then he heard the growl again and looked down. His stomach. Duh. Only now did he realize how hungry he was. That old pizza seemed like it had been a million years ago. He quick grabbed a towel and ran down to the bathroom.

His stomach had woken him up earlier than even the early risers of the tower, so he had the whole place to himself. He showered and brushed his teeth in record time, so fast in fact he though he could have given Kid Flash a run for his money. He was down to the common room just in time to see the sun finish rising through the common room's massive, wall-sized window. He smiled to himself; today was going to be a good day.

His stomach rumbled again, reminding him why he was up so early. He headed over to the kitchen, a plan forming in his mind, and opened the fridge. Seeing all the ingredients he needed, he set to work.

* * *

Starfire, Cyborg, and Robin all entered the common room together, rubbing sleep from their eyes and searching for the source of the delicious smells which were currently permeating the tower. They all crowded around kitchen area, where Beast Boy was putting the finishing touches on what appeared to be a breakfast feast.

"Is that **real** bacon and eggs?" asked Cyborg hesitantly, as though it was too good to be true.

"And fresh Zorka berries of my home world?" continued Starfire tentatively.

"And... a whole ham?" finished Robin, not taking his eyes off the giant slab of meat.

"Yep" said Beast Boy happily, smiling around at his friends. "Dig in."

"Glorious!" exclaimed Starfire loudly, grabbing the berries and flying high into the air, spinning in delight.

"All right BB!" yelled Cyborg, cheering as he grabbed the bacon and eggs off the counter, and running over to the table to sit down.

"Yeah Beast Boy, this is great," said Robin as well, following Cyborg to the table, ham in hand.

Beast Boy joined the others at the table with his traditional tofu breakfast, wincing slightly as the two other boys' began devouring their meat. Preparing actual meat had been a somewhat painful experience for Beast Boy, but he had decided that his friends' happiness was worth a little discomfort.

"Thank you friend!" said Starfire between mouthfuls of the purple berries, "this feast is most amazing." Robin and Cyborg simply nodded in agreement, their mouths full of food. Beast Boy glanced down at thermos he held in his hands, which he had also prepared for this morning, wondering where the last Titan was.

* * *

Raven awoke to the distant sounds of cheering coming from somewhere in the tower. The sun streamed in through her window, and she could tell she'd overslept. She'd been up for most of the night, meditating, and still felt tired, even this late in the morning. She could still hear the sounds of her teammates' raised voices echoing from the direction of the common room, so she quickly donned her uniform and headed out into the tower. As she approached the common room, she could hear the other Titans discussing their breakfast in loud, happy voices.

"Good morning Raven" called Beast Boy cheerfully as she walked into the room. He and the others were seated at the table, enjoying an immense breakfast.

"Yo Raven," said Cyborg, his mouth still full of food, "BB made breakfast, and it's **awesome**. Come and have some."

"No, thank you," said Raven, here voice sounding slightly annoyed. "As always, I'll stick with-"

"Herbal tea" finished Beast Boy, tossing a thermos across the room to Raven, who caught it with her powers. It hovered in the air for a few moments, surrounded by glowing black energy, while Raven stared at it. She dropped it into her hands and held it for a moment, cocking her head sideways and giving Beast Boy a confused look.

"Herbal... tea?" she asked, unsure.

"Uh-huh, just the way you like it."

She walked over to the kitchen and grabbed a cup from the pantry before sitting next to Beast Boy at the table. She poured herself a small portion, and took a sip. Beast Boy smiled as she sighed happily and took another drink. "Thank you," she said quietly, giving Beast Boy a small smile. He matched it with another of his huge grins before returning to his fourth helping of tofu bacon. Yes, today was certainly going to be a good day.

* * *

**MC:** Hope you liked it. Plan on having more chapters soon. Stay tuned. =)


	4. Chapter 4

**MC:** Thanks to: St. Jack of randomness and Queen of the Elementals 09 for reviewing Chapter 3, you're support is appreciated. A second thanks to: FelynxTiger, The Cretan, crazynerd, LemonVron, and WobblyJelly for continuing to review. You're support helps me know people are following the story, which makes me feel all warm and fuzzy. A special shout out to LemonVron, whose review made me laugh. Thank You. Here's Chapter four, it's pretty long.

BB: That's what she said!

Rae: That joke is extremely immature, even for you.

BB: Nu-uh, it's funny.

**MC:** Stop it! Let the readers enjoy the story. Quit interrupting.

BB and Rae: Sorry

**MC:** That's better. Now, please enjoy the chapter. (God, I can't believe I just wrote that dialogue.)

* * *

The sun was now high in the noontime sky, and Beast Boy, Robin, and Cyborg all sat on the couch, locked in an epic racing contest against each other on the Gamestation. Starfire sat beside Robin, cheering him on, while Raven sat at the end of the couch, her nose stuck in a large, thick, leather-bound book.

"I know y'all aren't thinking of passing me," said Cyborg to Beast Boy, his attention divided between the screen and his green friend beside him. Both boys screwed up their faces in concentration, but to his dismay, Beast Boy couldn't compete with Cyborg's video game skills.

"Aw, man!" cried Beast Boy, upset that his attempt to take the lead had been thwarted. "How do you do that?" he asked exasperatedly, staring at the metal Titan.

"Maybe someday I'll teach you my secrets," said Cyborg smugly, reaching over to ruffle Beast Boy's hair. Beast Boy threw Cyborg's hand off, a scowl on his face, when the tower's emergency lights began to flash.

"Titans, Trouble!" said Robin, jumping up from the couch and switching off the video game.

"Man, and I was just about to win..." grumbled Cyborg, looking dejected.

"What's up?" asked Raven blandly, staring up from her book at the oversized monitor in apparent boredom.

"It's Overload," said Robin, pulling up a map of the city on the big screen. He pointed to a region near the outskirts of town. "He must have broken out of prison, and now he's attacking the city's power plant."

"If he takes it out, the whole city could loose power," added Cyborg, looking worried.

"Not to mention that if he gets access to that much power, he'll be nearly unstoppable," continued Robin.

"It's no biggie, we've taken Overload down 'overloads' of times," said Beast Boy confidently, laughing at his own joke.

"Azar," groaned Raven, appalled at the stupidity of the joke. Beast Boy winked at her, grinning.

"Yes, I agree with Beast Boy, it is certainly not a 'biggie'," commented Starfire.

"Let's just go," finished Raven impatiently, sounding annoyed and heading for the door.

* * *

By the time they reached the massive power plant Overload had already begun tearing the place apart. Downed power lines sparked dangerously all around, electricity arcing off them in every direction. Several of the buildings around the plant had been reduced to rubble, which littered the surrounding area with chunks of crumbling debris. The afternoon sun shined brightly from a cloudless sky. Overload himself stood at the center of the ravaged plant, his electric blue arms outstretched towards a power conduit.

"Titans, Go!" shouted Robin, leaping high into the air, straight towards Overload, one leg extended in a high kick. Starfire flew left, and Raven right, while Beast Boy and Cyborg charged straight up the middle. Robin's kick landed, the force of his strike sending Overload toppling over. One heart beat later, a barrage of star bolts impacted, exploding on top of Overload.

Suddenly, two great arcs of electricity shot from Overload, one towards Robin, the other Starfire. Robin leap into the air, narrowly managing to dodge the lightning. Starfire wasn't so lucky. The bolt hit her in the shoulder, and with a cry she was sent spiraling towards the ground. At the last moment, Robin slid beneath her, catching her before she hit the ground. She was up in a second, however, her alien body shaking off the high voltage as if it had been a static shock.

Beast Boy, in bull form, charged down Overload, with Cyborg standing upon his back like he was riding a surfboard. "Booyah!" cried Cyborg, firing his sonic cannon, which caused Overload to stumble slightly just as Beast Boy rammed him. The giant electric creature went tumbling through the air before landing on the ground with a crash.

"Nice one" called Beast Boy and Cyborg together, high fiving each other in triumph. Without warning, another bolt of lightning shot from Overload, arcing straight towards the pair.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" shouted Raven, her hands outstretched towards Cyborg and Beast Boy. A beam of darkness shot from her hands, intercepting the lightning and saving the two boys.

"Thanks Raven," the two called out before returning to the fight.

A few moments later, a stream of star bolts collided with Overload just in time to meet another of Cyborg's sonic blasts, and the combined power of the two attacks was enough to bring Overload to his knees. Raven repeated her magic words, another black beam shooting from her hands and wrapping several times around the glowing criminal, holding him in place.

"You look a little thirsty," said Cyborg, one hand attached to a nearby fire hydrant, the other pointed at Overload, acting as a hose. "Have a drink!"

A high-powered stream of water shot from Cyborg's hand, straight towards Overload. But a moment before the liquid made contact, a final, immense bolt of electricity arced off of Overload, and headed straight towards Raven, who, in her concentration, did not see it.

"Raven!" cried Beast Boy, his shout shifting to a roar as he morphed into a giant gorilla. Using his large, muscular legs he leapt in between Raven and the lightning, taking the hit square in the chest. His body became silhouetted for a moment, outlined by the brilliant flash of white light as it struck his body. He seemed to hang there, suspended in mid-air for several seconds, the eyes of all the other Titans on him. Then he fell through the air, his smoldering body returning to its human form. He plummeted towards the earth, but was caught by Raven, who swooped beneath him and caught him.

She landed immediately, cradling Beast Boy's limp form in her arms. He seemed smaller than usual to her. His eyes were closed, his hair was fried, and his chest lacked its normal rhythmic rise and fall. She shook him slightly, but his eyes remained shut, his body still. Despite her best efforts to keep her voice emotionless, a hint of worry and frustration permeated her speech. "Come on Beast Boy, wake up!"

No response.

Her voice grew louder as she became angry. "Come on, you dummy!" she shouted, shaking him harder. "Wake up!" But still Beast Boy lay motionless in her arms.

She gave a scream of frustration, her raw emotion causing the ground around her to crack open with dark energy. How dare he play such a stupid joke on her? Obviously, she thought, he was just pretending to be injured, as a prank. A juvenile, idiotic joke. And any moment now he was going to open his eyes, smile up at her, and yell "gotcha!" He had to. He couldn't be... She banished those thought from her mind. Around her, she was dimly aware of the others, but she ignored them. Her face was wet; it must have started raining, which was odd, because the sky had seemed quite clear all day.

"Make a joke, tease me, laugh," she begged, her voice quiet and desperate. "Say something stupid or immature or, or something... anything!"

She looked down at Beast Boy's motionless, green face, with his one goofy tooth protruding from his closed mouth. It didn't look right closed; it should be opened, telling her a joke in a futile attempt to make her laugh. She had never told him how much she had actually enjoyed those jokes, even the one's that weren't funny, because it meant he had wanted to be around her. She had never told him any of the things she had meant to say. She closed her eyes, holding Beast Boy close, up against her chest, their heads resting next to each other's. "Come on Beast Boy," she whispered into his ear, her voice quivering. "You have to wake up..."

She imagined him saying something into her ear, a stupid joke, his response raspy and faint, "I'm a real live wire, huh Raven?"

It took a few moments for her to comprehend what she had just imagined. That seemed a strange thing for her to imagine Beast Boy saying. Curiously, she opened her eyes, rubbing the wetness from them with the back of her hand.

Beast Boy peered up at her through half opened eyes, and repeated, his voice distinctly un-imagined, "I'm a real live wire, huh Raven?"

Raven stared at him in disbelief, her mouth opened slightly, unable to fully comprehend what was happening. Behind her she could hear the joyful cries of her teammates, but they seemed strangely far away. The only thing she could focus on was the green boy in her arms, who had just returned to her, seemingly from the grave itself.

"What happened?" asked Beast Boy groggily, looking around. His voice was very weak. "Raven, were you crying?" he asked, his voice suddenly concerned

"What? Of course not." said Raven dismissively, struggling to return her voice to its normal, emotionless tone. "It was just the rain."

"It rained?" asked Beast Boy, obviously confused, as Raven helped him to his feet. "How long was I out?"

But before Raven could answer, Starfire yelled "Beast Boy!" and squeezed him in a crushing hug. "It is glorious to see that you are uninjured!" Raven could see Beast Boy wincing in pain as Starfire's hug squished him.

Just as Starfire released him, Cyborg came up beside her. "Jeez BB, you had us scared for a little while."

"Yeah Beast Boy, how are you feeling?" added Robin, walking up and putting a hand on Beast Boy's shoulder.

"Well," said Beast Boy, his voice still faint, "my um... everything hurts, so Star, uh... no more hugs please."

"Sorry friend..." said Star sheepishly, looking embarrassed.

"We should get you back to the tower," said Robin, thinking for a moment. "Star, you and I will take Overload back to Jail." The group all glanced over at Overload, who now was just a memory card sitting in a pool of water. "Raven, Cyborg, you get Beast boy back to the tower" he finished.

"Sounds like a plan," agreed Cyborg, and the group separated.

* * *

On the ride back to the tower, sitting in the backseat of the T-car with Raven, Beast Boy began to understand more of what had happened after he had been hit.

"You got hit, but Raven caught you before you hit the ground," explained Cyborg from the front seat. "I managed to spray Overload though, so he was down at just about the same time as you were. Anyway, Rae was tryin' to get you to wake up, and for a minute there, it didn't seem like you were gonna pull through." He looked back at Beast Boy, grimacing. "It was pretty grim."

"How long was I out?" asked Beast Boy curiously.

"A couple minutes, I dunno," said Cyborg, shrugging. "Anyway, you turned out OK. I knew you'd pull through though; you're one tough Green Bean."

The group drove in silence for a minute, Beast Boy watching Raven as she stared out the window. She had been even more silent than usual during their ride back to the tower, and had stared out the window the entire ride. Remembering something she had said earlier, he asked Cyborg a question. "Hey Cy, did it rain while I was out cold?"

"Rain?" said Cyborg, obviously confused. "Nah, it didn't rain. Why would you think it rained?"

"No reason" responded Beast Boy, looking at Raven. "So, it didn't rain..." he said quietly to her, causing her to look away from the window.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she said, her tone dismissive once again. "Let me help with that" she said a moment later, holding her hand up against his chest. It glowed white, and Beast Boy felt a soothing sensation spread across his entire body. He smiled, feeling much better.

"Thanks" he said gratefully, but Raven just nodded in acknowledgement. "I guess that makes us even," he continued, grinning slyly.

"Even?" asked Raven, incredulous. "How does me healing you make us **even**?"

"Well, you see..." responded Beast Boy, speaking slowly and smugly. "You may not have noticed, but I kinda, ya know, saved you back there."

"Saved me? Please, I was fine on my own. I didn't need your help at all," said Raven, scoffing.

"Keep telling yourself that Raven," replied Beast Boy, smiling. "Keep telling yourself that."

"I should have know that not even a near-death experience could keep you from being immature" finished Raven, returning to staring out the window.

The T-car shifted to a hovercraft a moment later, and then hovered across the water towards the large T that sat atop their island. They pulled into the tower's garage and Cyborg shut off the car. "Home sweet home," he said, stepping out of the car and walking over to the exit. "B, come up to the med bay in a minute. It'd probably be best to check you out, just in case that lightning fried your brain or something."

"What brain?" asked Raven, her voice deadpan but a small smile on her face.

"Hey!" cried Beast Boy, sounding upset. "I **told** you, I do have a brain. I just don't use it much."

"What ever you say BB," said Cyborg, laughing as he left the garage. Raven made to follow him, but Beast Boy stopped her.

"Hey Raven, wait up a minute" he said, causing her to look around.

"Yes, Beast Boy?" she asked, staring at him expectantly.

"Um, I was thinking..." he said, hesitating and thinking hard.

Raven fought the urge to say 'I doubt that,' instead waiting patiently for Beast Boy to finish his statement.

Finally, deciding to throw caution to the winds, Beast Boy tried again. "I was thinking, I'm still a little lightning-y, but maybe a little meditation would help me feel better." He smiled at her nervously. "Interested?"

"Yes," she said, flashing a small smile back at Beast Boy. "I'd like that."

"Great" said Beat Boy, his voice cracking. He blushed, embarrassed.

Raven fought to keep from smiling again, and continued, "Come to my room when you're ready."

"Y-your room?" asked Beast Boy, confused. "But you never let people in your room."

Raven just shrugged, heading for the door. "You should probably go see Cyborg, he's waiting for you." And without another word, she was gone.

"Raven's room..." said Beast Boy dreamily, his eyes out of focus. "Raven invited me to her room." He stood silently for a moment, smiling to himself. "She liiiiikes me." And, a stupid grin still on his face, he slowly made his way up to the med-bay.

* * *

**MC:** That chapter was longer than I had originally planned. At first, Beast Boy was gonna be just fine after he got hit by overload, but then I wondered what it would be like if he didn't just get up and walk it off. It felt kinda weird using the 'Beast Boy almost dies' card, but I liked it after I wrote it, so I decided to keep it. I hope you liked it. Finals are this week, so I'll probably be writing a lot. It's kinda like a biannual tradition that I procrastinate my studying for finals by writing fanfiction. Anyway, the second half of the next chapter is already finished, so I'll be posting that soon enough. See you. =)


	5. Chapter 5

**MC:** Hey everybody, I made this chapter X-tra, Super, King-Sized Large, cause it's been a little while since I updated (though I did put up a couple of oneshots to tide you over since last chapter, and you should go and read them if you haven't already). Thanks to: Phoenix Flight, clawx2, X's Shadow, LemonVron, FelynxTiger, Torahamutaro-chan, WobblyJelly, redxcanary, Shyguy1, momoxoxo4, and kyubii king demon knight for their awesome reviews. I also received a review without a name, so thanks to that person, whoever you are. Now, please enjoy the chapter.

* * *

The moment Raven left the garage, she glided through the ceiling and straight to her room. She checked to make sure the door was locked before going over to her bed and sitting down. Memories of the day's events flooded back to her, and she felt a strange, intense urge to laugh and cry at the same time. The last hour seemed to be an rapidly passing blur to her, the events all mashed together. One memory stood out to her among the others: the memory of Beast Boy, lying limp in her arms, and the feeling of pure terror that had come over her seeing his prone, unmoving form. Even Trigon coming to Earth hadn't scared her like that. She had spent the ride back to the tower trying to come up with justifications for her reaction, but she had not been able to do it. The best reason she could think of was that Beast Boy was a fellow Titan, and that she would have had the same reaction for any of her teammates. But she didn't really believe that.

Beast Boy was... important to her. He was special. He was the only person who ever got close to her, and while she was still somewhat afraid of that closeness, she was even more afraid of losing it.

She stood up from her bed and gave her head a little shake trying to clear it. She felt confused, too many thoughts and feelings in her head. She walked over to her dresser, picking up the small mirror which rested on top of it. A trip to Nevermore ought to clear her head, she reasoned, so she held the mirror up to her face and stared deeply into it. And a moment later, she found herself standing on a large black rock, hovering in a dark abyss.

* * *

Beast Boy still had his large and rather stupid looking grin on his face when he walked into the med-bay, his expression earning him a odd look from Cyborg, who stood waiting for him. "You OK BB?" asked Cyborg tentatively, giving the green Titan a gentle knock to the top of his head with his fist. "You look pretty out of it."

Beast Boy's grin slackened somewhat, but didn't fade from his face completely. "Yeah Cy, I'm fine" he responded, looking up into his friend's face. "Never better."

"Riiiiiight," said Cyborg slowly, eyeing Beast Boy suspiciously. "You've never felt better than right after you've been struck by lightning. Which almost killed you. Because that makes sense."

"Really, I feel great," said Beast Boy quickly, hoping Cyborg wouldn't press the issue. He wanted to be done with this check-up and to Raven's room as soon as possible.

Cyborg looked unconvinced. "Well, I'm just gonna run a couple of tests on your head, make sure you're all in one piece up there." He then gestured to several scary looking medical devices that Beast Boy hadn't noticed until now.

"Uh, Cy?" asked Beast Boy nervously, not taking his eyes off of one particularly sharp looking needle, "you don't have to **use** that stuff, do you?"

* * *

Raven glanced around, taking in her surroundings. Nevermore hadn't changed much since her last visit: still a dark vast space with red stars glowing in the distance. She stood on one of several floating platforms which were all hovering in the same general area. A moment later, however, the random black chucks of rock were flying together, forming a landscape around her.

She walked forward on the newly formed path, looking around. So far she couldn't see any of the other 'Ravens', which represented the divergent parts of her personality in this realm, but she knew it wouldn't be long before one of them found her. She just hoped it wouldn't be-. "Happy," said Raven dully, greeting the pink robed girl who approached her from around a bend in the path.

"Ravey!" shouted Happy in surprise, racing over and throwing her arms around Raven, who winced and proceeded to peel the pink girl off of herself at once.

"We've been expecting you," came another voice, announcing the arrival of the yellow-garbed, bespectacled form of Wisdom, who was followed by the other aspects of Raven's emotions.

"Um, hi Raven..." said Timid quietly, waving at Raven from behind the others.

"Yo Rae, what's up?" added Bravery, reaching up and giving Raven a high five.

"I'm real glad you came," continued Affection, smiling warmly and coming up to hug Raven as well. As with Happy, Raven quickly detached herself from the purple girl.

The brown clothed manifestation of Lazy yawned, nodding at Raven in acknowledgement, while the orange colored Rude simply burped and grunted at her.

"We're all **sooooo** happy you're here!" cried Happy joyously, jumping up in excitement.

"Not me!" said an angry voice from behind the group, signally Rage's arrival. The red colored girl had finally decided to make an appearance, glaring at Raven with her four, blood red eyes.

"Well you're never happy about anything," said Happy, her good mood unhampered by Rage's negative attitude. Rage just growled, causing Timid to whimper slightly. Brave was about to say something when Wisdom spoke.

"Enough," she said, holding up a hand to silence the group. Then Wisdom turned her attention to Raven, staring at the blue clothed girl through her glasses. "I think we know why you're here."

"You've been acting up," said Raven, walking up and pointing an accusatory finger at Affection before continuing. "Why do I have these... emotions related to Beast Boy?"

"What can I say?" asked Affection in mock innocence. "I'm a people person." She still had that warm smile on her face. "Sometimes I just can't help myself; it's so easy to gain affection for some people..."

"Especially green people," chimed in Happy cheerfully. "Who are funny," she added as an afterthought.

"Well stop it," said Raven to Affection, annoyance in her voice. "These emotions are... confusing. Why did you have me invite him up to my room?"

"Oh, I don't think I'm the one who can stop it," responded Affection, her smile knowing. "And I wasn't the one who invited him to your room."

"That was all you, Ravey," said Happy, positively beaming.

"What do you mean?" asked Raven, confused, looking around while the various faces of herself stared back. "You can't seriously mean that I've developed some kind of..." She paused, almost unable to say it. "Feelings... for Beast Boy?" It didn't seem possible, not for annoying, immature Beast Boy.

But the moment she said it aloud, she knew it was true. A rush of emotions came to her, flooding her senses. The concern she had felt for Beast Boy just today, the fondness she had for him and his jokes, even when he was annoying her, as well as feelings of warmth and tenderness she felt right now, thinking of him.

"Bingo," said Wisdom, walking forward and placing a hand on Raven's shoulder.

"Took you long enough," added Affection, following Wisdom's lead and placing her hand on Raven's other shoulder. The three sat in silence for a few minutes, Raven still coming to terms with her newfound feelings for her green teammate. Nearby, Happy was jumping up and down, completely exhilarated, while Lazy, Rude, and Timid hung back, though also smiling. Rage had retreated to some far corner of Nevermore, unable to stand all these pesky, positive emotions.

Finally Raven spoke, her voice quiet, thoughtful. "How do I tell him?" she asked Wisdom, unsure.

But it was Affection that responded. "Oh, I don't think you should tell him," she said slyly, her eyes alight with anticipation. "I think you should show him..."

* * *

"Well, it looks like everything checks out," said Cyborg, looking over Beast Boy's brain scan for the fourth time that evening. "Aside from some minor burns, you're fine."

"Finally!" cried Beast Boy exasperatedly, who had spent the last forty-five minutes being poked and prodded by Cyborg in the med-bay. "Can I go now?"

Cyborg nodded, and Beast Boy ran from the med-bay, already headed towards Raven's room. He arrived at her door, knocking hastily, eager to start meditating with Raven. But when he slid the door open, he was surprised by what he saw.

The ceiling lamp was off, but several small, purple candles had been placed around, casting a low, flickering light across the room. The sun was setting out the window, casting another small amount of light through the room. Despite the low light levels, the room seemed brighter than the other times he had visited. The faint scent of incense was emanating from somewhere, a smell of lilacs and lavender.

Raven sat in the middle of the room, perched on the edge of her bed and she inclined her head to greet Beast Boy as he entered. He couldn't help noticing that her features were all the more striking in the soft candlelight. Without meaning to, he gave her a small nervous smile, which, to his surprise, she returned.

"Sorry I'm late," he said sheepishly, closing the door behind him. "Cy wanted to run about a million tests..." His voice trailed off as he looked into her eyes. They looked different somehow, but he couldn't quite place it. She simply nodded, understanding.

"Here," she said gently, motioning for him to sit next to her on the bed. He walked over, looking at her. The emotionless veil she so frequently wore seemed to have lifted somewhat, causing the slightest emotions to show on her face. The ghost of a smile clung to her lips as she watched him sit down next to her.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, gesturing to his chest where his uniform was still blackened; he had forgotten to change into a fresh one.

"Better, since you healed it," he said gratefully. "Thanks."

"No problem," she said quietly. They sat in silence for a moment, looking at each other, both lost in thought. A few seconds passed before they realized that they had been watching each other, and they both blushed, glancing around the room, trying to think of something to say.

"Um, did you wanna start..." asked Beast Boy tentatively.

"Yeah," responded Raven, taking the opportunity to end the awkward silence that had fallen between them.

She crossed her legs and sat in a meditation posture, her eyes closed. Beast Boy copied her, and a moment later they both began to chant "Azarath Metrion Zinthos."

As he meditated, Beast Boy could feel the stress and the pain of the day flowing away, but he also couldn't help thinking about Raven. She seemed different tonight, but he couldn't put his finger on it. The look in her eyes, her smile, and just the way she seemed to be were all different than her typical behavior, but Beast Boy wasn't complaining. Right now, he was just happy that she was happy to spend time with him.

Meanwhile, Raven was sitting next to Beast Boy on her bed, her mind racing, stealing herself to do something she wasn't altogether sure she could do. She remembered back to the plan she and Affection had made less than an hour ago, but planning and doing, she was quickly realizing, were two very different things. Even now, she could feel herself having second thoughts, little doubts running through her head. But she could hear Affection's voice in her ear, cheering her on, and so she decided throw caution to the winds, and acted.

* * *

Beast Boy had been meditating for about fifteen minutes when something odd happened. He had been chanting the magic words for several seconds before he noticed that he could no longer hear Raven's voice speaking in unison with his. Confused, he opened his eyes to see Raven standing right in front of him, leaning over with her face less than an inch from his, bearing an sly smile. He gave a little "eep!" of surprise, instinctively leaning backwards. She followed his movement however, maintaining the inch of space between their faces. Her face was red, but not anywhere near as red as his must have been.

After a moment she spoke, and Beast Boy was shocked to hear her normally emotionless voice replaced by a passionate tone that was laced with humor. "You know," she said quietly, moving even closer to Beast Boy, "I never did thank you."

Beast Boy, who was still utterly confused and quite incapable of thinking clearly, was barely able to respond. "For what?" he asked nervously, his voice nearly silent.

"Well," she said slowly, staring deep into his eyes, her voice practically seductive, "You may not have noticed, but you kind of, ya know..." She paused, her lips barely a fraction of an inch away from his, the sweet smell of her warm breath passing across his face, "saved me."

And then Raven was kissing him, her soft lips pressing gently against his, and Beast Boy's mind went blissfully blank. He could never remember feeling like this, being kissed like this, and for one moment, he found himself unable to respond, unable to think, unable to do anything at all. His wildest dreams were coming true at that very moment, and he was more surprised than he'd ever been in his life. The moment soon passed, however, and Beast Boy responded, finding one of her hands and grasping it in his own. In her ear, Raven could hear her various emotions cheering and celebrating. After several seconds passed, the couple broke apart, gazing deeply into each other's eyes, taking in the moment.

"I..." began Raven, but her voice faded away, and a moment later they were kissing again, tenderly at first but slowly shifting over to passionate. Raven slid her arms around Beast Boy's back, while Beast Boy placed one hand behind Raven's head, the other at her waist. They both pulled each other close, their embrace tightening. For both of them, it was pure happiness.

* * *

After what seemed like both a very long and very short time, they separated. Through the open window, the moon could be seen in the sky, the sun long since set beyond the horizon. They both sat in silence on Raven's bed for several minutes before, suddenly, Raven rose to her feet, her blue cape sweeping around her. "I'm getting ready for bed" she announced, her smooth voice once again devoid of emotion.

Beast Boy laid back on Raven's bed, content to stay put until she kicked him out. To his surprise however, she said nothing about him leaving as she rummaged through one of her dresser drawers. He sat in silence, watching her across the room. After a moment, he reached his hand over to his other arm and gave it a hard pinch, causing himself to give a small yelp of pain. Raven was too busy looking in her dresser to notice this bizarre action, and after a few seconds passed, Beast Boy spoke. "Is this real?" he asked slowly, raising his hand above his face and waving it in front of his eyes.

"What do you mean?" asked Raven from across the room, pulling some clothes from the drawer.

"I mean, am I really here, with you, in your room?" he asked, sounding unsure.

"Of course you're here," she said, sounding slightly annoyed and looking at him from her dresser, "Why wouldn't you be here?"

"But, I mean, look at you!" he said, his voice exasperated. He leaned up and gestured towards her with his hands, his face splitting into a smile. "I'm so lucky!"

"Oh, stop it" she said, trying to look annoyed, but failing miserably due to the slight blush that was creeping into her cheeks. She enveloped herself in darkness for a moment, and then reappeared wearing a simple dark blue nightshirt and matching night pants. She walked over to the bed and sat down, leaning over to place a quick kiss on Beast Boy's lips. "This is real," she said simply, her voice back to its smooth monotone. "Now, I'm going to bed, and-"

"I have to leave," he said, finishing her sentence. He made to stand up, but Raven's hand grabbed his shoulder to stop him.

"Actually, I was gonna ask if you wanted to stay," she said, her voice almost a whisper.

Beast Boy's eyes went wide. "STAY HERE! WITH YOU?" he cried incredulously, a shocked expression on his face.

"I mean, if you don't want to, that's fine," said Raven, looking down, unable to keep the disappointment out of her voice. "I just thought you might have wanted-"

But she was interrupted as Beast Boy slid down next to her on the bed, still looking somewhat dumbstruck, but managing to mumble, "I think I'll stay..." before closing his eyes and squeezing Raven in a tight hug. Raven could help but smile. They held each other for a few moments until Beast Boy realized something.

"Rae," he said curiously, "what about my pajamas?"

Raven though for a moment. She didn't want Beast Boy running through the tower to his room and then back to her's, which could create awkward questions if anyone saw him. "I'll go grab them," she said, standing up and moving towards the wall. "Where are they?"

"Bottom of the third drawer in the green dresser." She made to phase through the wall, but Beast Boy's voice stopped her. "Thanks, Raven."

She just gave him a small smile and phased through the wall. Now alone, Beast Boy looked around the room. He'd been here unsupervised a couple of times before, but he'd never inspected the entire area. Noting an open box beside her bed, he leaned over to rummage through it when Raven's head appeared through the wall, surrounded by a veil of darkness. "And don't touch any of my stuff," she said quickly, before fading back through the wall. Beast Boy smiled sheepishly and quickly withdrew his hand.

As he waited for Raven to return, Beast Boy reminisced about the first time he had ever been in her room. He could still hear Cyborg's nervous voice in his head. _'We're in Raven's room. We should __**not**__ be in Raven's room. She doesn't let anybody in here. Ever!'_

That had been a long time ago, however, and Raven had eased up slightly on her rules involving her room. Still, it was a rare occurrence to visit Raven's room.

After a bit, Raven returned, pajamas in hand. She held them up, frowning. "Mega Monkeys Four?" she inquired, indicating the many tiny monkeys that adorned his nightclothes.

Beast Boy laughed sheepishly as she tossed him the clothes. "Yeah, they're my favorite."

"You're such a nerd," she said, laughing quietly. Beast Boy beamed at the sound of her laughter.

"Uh, Raven, where am I gonna change?" he asked, looking around the room.

"Go on," she said, sitting down on her bed and covering her eyes with one hand. "I won't look."

"Really," asked Beast Boy nervously, unsure. "You promise not to peek?"

"Yes, I promise," said Raven lazily, leaning back on her bed.

"OK," said Beast Boy, quickly changing out of his uniform and into his pajamas. When he was done, he looked over at Raven. "You didn't peek, did you?" he asked slowly.

"No," said Raven tiredly, stifling a yawn. Beast Boy sighed with relief and laid down next to Raven. After they had been laying down for a few seconds, she whispered, "Well, maybe a little."

Beast Boy looked mortified, and Raven began to laugh. "You're kidding, you didn't look," said Beast Boy in disbelief, shaking his head.

Raven was still laughing a little, but she managed to respond. "Yeah, you're probably right." She giggled a little more before she added, "You know, I've always liked boxers with the little hearts on them."

Beast Boy's eyes went wide, his face displaying a look of shock. "Y-you... LIAR!" he exclaimed in mock outrage, reaching over and beginning to tickle her stomach. Raven began laughing even harder, her legs kicking out in protest. Beast Boy grabbed her with both hands round the middle, tickling with no mercy, determined to get her back for watching him change. Raven was helpless before Beast Boy's tickling onslaught. She gasped for air, the sound of her laughter filling the room. It was the best sound Beast Boy had ever heard. Finally, after more than a minute, when Beast Boy felt as though he had sufficiently paid her back, he released her, and she rolled over on the bed, panting. She lay there for a while, catching her breath, unable to wipe the smile from her face.

"That's the most I've ever laughed," said Raven quietly when she was finally able to speak again. That fact alone made Beast Boy happier than he had in a long time.

He smiled, and then he started to laugh. He kept laughing however, and couldn't stop. He looked down to see two long tendrils of darkness coming from Raven's hands, tickling him. "I can tickle too," she said in a mock menacing voice.

Beast Boy began laughing more and more, but managed to choke out through laughs, "not- haha- fair. No- hahahaha- powers."

"Try and stop me," said Raven over the sound of Beast Boy's laughter. Beast Boy's arms groped around the bed as he struggled with Raven, reaching for anything he could use to fight back. One of his hands found something soft, which he grabbed and threw across the room. Looking up, he saw the pillow hit her in the face.

She released him, the pillow still resting on her face. Suddenly the pillow fell to the floor, revealing her violet eyes to be replaced with glowing white energy. Beast Boy gulped.

* * *

Both Raven and Beast Boy lay next to each other on the bed, their faces red and their breath coming in sharp gulps. "That was the most, intense, pillow fight, ever," said Beast Boy, still panting. Raven simply nodded in agreement, her chest rising and falling heavily.

Beast Boy glanced over at her, noting at slight dampness on her face, a slight sweat she had worked up during their pillow battle. Her hair was wild, lacking its usual neat and straight look. It clung to her face, and he noticed that she looked even more beautiful this way.

Raven glanced back at him, seeing the great grin that was splitting his face. She imagined this would be a very compromising position to be found in if the other Titans decided to come looking for the source of all the noise they had been making, but she couldn't quite bring herself to care at the moment. She found herself inexplicably happy, just to exist, here and now, with the green changeling beside her. She couldn't remember ever feeling quite like this. It was a strange feeling, but she liked it. Her hand found Beast Boy's, and they both smiled together.

A few minutes passed in silence while to two Titans lay next each other, holding hands, before Raven spoke. "We should probably get some sleep," she said, reaching down to the foot of the bed and pulling the covers over them. She felt Beast Boy slide up next to her beneath the blanket and fought the urge to laugh. "And," she added, looking him in eye and smiling, "If you try **anything**, I'll send you to another dimension."

"I might just have to risk it," whispered Beast Boy into Raven's ear, his tone mischievous. He planted a small kiss on her neck, causing her to shiver with pleasure.

"Stop it!" she cried, giggling slightly.

Beast Boy pretended to sigh with dissapointment, and settled for holding Raven's hand in his and placing one arm around her waist beneath the covers. The both whispered goodnight and, more tired by the day's events than they had realized, quickly drifted off to sleep in each other's arms.

* * *

**MC:** Wow... I've never written anything like that. Romance and stuff or whatever. I hope it came out ok. Anyway, thanks for waiting and I hope you enjoyed it.

**MCPS:** !News Update! I'll be updating the previous chapters, adding chapter titles and fixing grammar mistakes and stuff like that. That should happen at the same time as when I post the next chapter.

See you =)


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